The Burden of Belief
by Eternal Love Song
Summary: Izuku and Jirou are trapped inside an enemy base. Jirou thinks it's hopeless, but Izuku refuses to give up. [Aged Up Characters, Pro-Heroes, Pre-relationship]


Jirou was pretty sure that they were lost. Not that it was easy to tell. The walls were all the same color and corridors had so many twist and turns that it was nearly impossible to figure out where they needed to go. She was pretty sure they'd passed that chip in the wall several times though.

She wasn't in the best condition to be wandering around a villain base, either. She'd hurt her ankle and the fastest she could manage to move was a more of a hobble. It probably wasn't doing her leg any favors and she hoped when she got out of here she won't have injured her leg too badly. Honestly, Jirou probably would have give up by now if it wasn't for who she was with.

"Hey?" Izuku had stopped a few steps ahead of her. He'd been keeping a steady pace ahead of her, ready to protect her if someone showed up, unwilling to go too far ahead of her knowing that she was hurt. His brow was furrowed with concern and his eyes scanned over her as if he would find new injuries. "Are you okay?"

She definitely wasn't. Her leg was killing her, pain traveling up from her ankle with her every step, forcing her to bite her tongue to keep from making the sounds of pain that wanted to burst from her lips. She a dozen or more uncounted aches and pain from the battle that had landed them here in the first place and she was sure that he was the same, even if he was hiding it better than she was. Not to mention the hopelessness that was starting to spread inside her, making her want to lay sown and give up. She wouldn't, but she wanted to.

"I'm fine," she lied.

Izuku stared at her a little longer. His eyes traced over her again, slowly, trying to be more observant this time. Maybe he could tell that she'd lied. Maybe he just thought he'd spontaneously develop an x ray quirk so that he could see whatever was wrong with her if he just tried hard enough.

Jirou sighed. She walked forward, trying harder not to limp now that he was watching her more closely. It didn't really work. She tried it anyway. "Don't worry about me. We have bigger problems here."

"I'm not sure we do," Izuku answered. He was still standing in the same place, watching her as she walked past. "Does it hurt badly?" he asked quietly.

Jirou stopped. "What about you?" she asked him. "Aren't you hurt?"

"Not as badly," he answered.

He was behind her at this point and it would probably be easier to say what was on her mind if he couldn't see her face. "You should go on without me," she told him.

"What?"

"You can move faster than I can. You don't have injuries slowing you down. You can probably get out and help help faster than I can get down this hallway."

"No!" Izuku's voice was so hard and serious that Jirou was startled into facing him. "I'm not leaving you."

"Izuku..."

"I refuse," he told her. "We get out of here together or not at all."

She clenched her fist tightly, nails digging into her palm. "Idiot!" she yelled. "I can barely even walk! Do you really think I'm getting out of here before someone finds us? Be smart, Izuku!"

His expression was determined and walked forward purposefully before kneeling on the ground in front of her. "I will never leave you behind, Kyoka. Don't ask me to. Don't even think it! It's not an option."

"You're so stubborn," she hissed.

"I am, so there's point in trying to fight me on this. I won't change my mind." He looked forward as he added, "Now get on my back."

"What?"

"I'll carry you out."

"You can't... I'll still be slowing you down."

Izuku looked back and smiled at her. "You aren't that heavy, Kyoka."

"That's not..."

"And besides," he continued, "It's not like you're a burden. You can still use your quirk. You'll be able to hear if anyone is coming and you won't have to worry about focusing on your leg. We'll work better this way."

Jirou hesitated, but she didn't argue. It was a solid plan and she's not sure why she ever expected anything else from Izuku. She climbed onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck, and Izuku held on to her legs.

"We'll make it out of here," he said quietly. "I promise you, Kyoka."

Despite how hopeless the situation still seemed, she believed him. Izuku always made her believe. She laid her head against his back, closed her eyes, held on tighter. "I know," she whispered. "I know you will."


End file.
